Can injured spinal cord self repair?

10-27-2016, 08:12 AM

HEALTH BACKGROUND

Perfect. 77 & have never needed any medication. No high blood pressure. No cholestrol issues. 10-20% overweight last 20 years. Always active. Rock climbing. Back packing. White water canoeing, mostly this for last 20 years.Still, since 50 not as active, so going to gym twice a week.

4 years ago T7-C1 collapsed, so injured spinal cord such that paralyzed waist down & weak from waist up. Emergency surgery saved me. Within a month walking with one cane.

Slow but steady improvement since, even now. About a month ago I realized I had not used my cane all morning. This had never happened before. Is my spinal cord still repairing itself? Naturally, I hope so. If it is, how can I hurry it along??? (Short of knocking a few decades off!!)

Comment

Nothing is impossible but it would be good to get a physical exam to verify your subjective findings.

pbr

The SCI-Nurses are advanced practice nurses specializing in SCI/D care. They are available to answer questions, provide education, and make suggestions which you should always discuss with your physician/primary health care provider before implementing. Medical diagnosis is not provided, nor do the SCI-Nurses provide nursing or medical care through their responses on the CareCure forums.

Comment

This is not subjective. The "Y" machines have been there for 10 years before my injury. I know what the setting were prior the injury and what there are just after. A physical exam would tell me where I am at this very moment but would do nothing to explain my iimprovement after 3 years. Let me give you another example. I've frequently laid on the floor while watching a movie. For 2.5 years after the surgery I get off the floor by crawling over to a piece of furniture to hoist myself off the floor. Now I can get off the floor unasisted. It's not that I really want to know exactly why I'm getting better. My thought was if I knew why I'm getting better I could do something to help the process. So, why the improvement 3 years down the pike?

Comment

Even if you have something in your body, in your genes very specific (Salamander gene ), medical science in 2016 will not admit it as will not know where to look at and how to recognize the difference.
Enjoy your life Mr. LUCKY and leave your spine for Dr. Murray Blackmore research lab after you finish your run.

Comment

I repeat, why am I improving 3 years down the pike? I've had a standard 1 mile hike I've taken for 15 years. Before SCI it took 20 minutes. A year after the mile took 2.5 hours, 2 years was 1.5 hours. Now, 3 years after it's down to 1 hour. That's a far cry from pre SCI, wouldn't you agree?

Comment

Dennis,
Do you understand that you are talking to bunch of people that can not stand at all?
I am just jealous ...yes I am ...no excuse.....no sorry...

I wasn't aware. Why should that matter? I looked into Murray but the follow up links were blank. But look, I post one question to the medical professional and get a reply from that person that clearly shows my question wasn't really read. I reply twice to that professional and no response is, as of yet, forthcoming.

Comment

The muscles can get stronger and yes some recovery can continue. But repair by AIS examination would have to show use or movement and/or sensation in other muscles and significant improvement to change your AIS score.
Your SCI functional level can also decrease. All that hard work can regress if you stop exercising or using the muscles. It is not that the cord is damaged again but that the muscles stopped being used daily and now the strength of the muscles has decreased.

CWO

The SCI-Nurses are advanced practice nurses specializing in SCI/D care. They are available to answer questions, provide education, and make suggestions which you should always discuss with your physician/primary health care provider before implementing. Medical diagnosis is not provided, nor do the SCI-Nurses provide nursing or medical care through their responses on the CareCure forums.

Comment

The muscles can get stronger and yes some recovery can continue. But repair by AIS examination would have to show use or movement and/or sensation in other muscles and significant improvement to change your AIS score.
Your SCI functional level can also decrease. All that hard work can regress if you stop exercising or using the muscles. It is not that the cord is damaged again but that the muscles stopped being used daily and now the strength of the muscles has decreased.

CWO

I am new to this. What is AIS examination? What is SCI functional level? Is there a book or pamphlet on basic terms that I should look for? For that matter is there a book out there on basic SCI? I'm a used and rare book dealer so love looking for books. Am also retired so am happy to drive half a day to a good library. I'm half way between Rochester & Buffalo. Toronto is less than three hours.